How to be Ready and What to Expect During Your Home Inspection

Congratulations — You found a home and now it’s time to do our due diligence.

During the under contract phase of your home purchase, my job is to manage all the parties, make sure we are adhering to the timelines in the contract, and communicate with all parties so everything goes as smoothly as possible.

There’s a lot happening during this phase of the home selling process, much of which is behind the scenes. My goal is to help make it as transparent to you as possible. That means every step of the way, I will do my best to prepare you for what’s coming up and also be sure to close the loop with updates as we go through each item on our list of to-dos.

We now have more people involved other than just you and me. We have the sellers, the sellers agent, title company, lender, and inspectors—working together to make sure the terms of the contract.

One of the first “big”steps is your home inspection.

I created this guide to help prep you for your inspection—what to expect before, during and after the inspection.

What Happens Before the Inspection

I will provide you several recommendations for inspectors. I will also recommend whether we need more than a general inspection. For example, if we need a termite inspection, roof inspection, radon inspection, or any other inspection, I’ll recommend both the type and whom I’d suggest doing the inspection.
Once you let me know which inspections you want, which inspectors you’d prefer and a few times and days that work for you to attend the inspection(s), I’ll coordinate with your schedule, my schedule, the inspector’s schedule, and the seller’s schedule to make sure the time and dates work for all parties involved.

I’ll send you a confirmed schedule and will let you know which inspections I recommend you being present for and which buyers typically don’t attend.

Then, I’ll meet you at your new home on inspection day.

What to Expect at the Inspection

Depending on the size of your home, this inspection could take anywhere from one to four hours and you should plan on being there at least for the last half, if not the whole time.

This would also be a good time to take measurements or photos you need and bring along any family members or contractors you want to look at the home. The seller does not have to allow us back except for reasons allowed for in the contract, so it may not be possible again to spend hours in this home before you move in.
Keep in mind that the inspector can only identify items that are showing as of the date of the inspection. So, for example, if it hasn’t rained in weeks, but every time it rains hard, water comes in the basement, he might not be able to know that. Or, if you are buying a new construction property, sometimes a defect doesn’t show until the house has been occupied for a few weeks or even months.

So, your inspection is not full proof, but it’s still necessary to have a trained eye to give you as much information about what is apparent as of now.

Here is what an inspector typically looks at during your home inspection:

GENERAL:

• Windows: Check that they open and close easily. Any broken panes?
• Doors: Check that they open and close completely. Do they stick? Lock? Scrape
  the floor at any point? Any keys you need to leave behind?
• Floors: Any big scratches (document them if so. This will be important so the final
  walk-through goes smoothly). Any creaking? Obvious unevenness?
• Walls: Any holes? Take a quick photo to document them. We should warn the buyers of any big ones so there are no surprises at their final walk-through,especially in places the inspector won’t be able to see such as behind a TV or media stand. Are there any shelves or pieces of furniture that seem built-in that you are taking?
• Lights: Turn on every light to make sure they work, especially exterior lights that
  sometimes are forgotten. Replace any lightbulbs that have burnt out.
• Outlets: Are there any outlet covers missing? Replace them.
• Furnace: Look at the furnace. Are there any stickers that indicate the installation
  date? And/or dates that can confirm regular maintenance?
• Water Heater: Check for water around the base of the water heater. Are there
  any signs of leaks such as rust stains?

KITCHEN:

• Stove: Turn on each burner on the stove. If gas, turn on and turn off before turning the next one on to make sure they all turn on by themselves, rather than catching the flame from an adjacent burner. If they all work individually, turn them all on to make sure they all work at the same time. If electric, just turn them all on and off to be sure all burners work properly.
• Fridge/Freezer: Do you have an ice maker? Does it work?
• Faucet: Run the water in the sink. How is the pressure? Any leaks?
• Garbage Disposal: Does the garbage disposal run without weird sounds? (Don’t forget to turn on the water before you test it.)
• Microwave or Hood: Do lights and fans work properly?
• Outlets: Are there any outlet covers missing? Replace them.
• Cabinets: Do all doors and drawers open and close properly?

Bathrooms

• Plumbing/Drainage: Flush the toilet. Fill up the sink and tub and then let the water run out to test for backups or poorly performing drains. Check for leaks from all faucets.
• Flooring: Any broken tiles?
• Toilet: Does it rock or is it solidly on the floor?
• Tub: Any cracks or chips?
• Vanity: Check the condition. Make sure to open it up and check the inside,too.
• Ventilation: Does the fan work? Is there a window? Does it open and close easily?

Bedrooms

• Closets: Do closets have doors? Do they open and close easily?
• Windows: Open and close all windows.
• Flooring: Check the state of the flooring — does carpet have stains, wearspots, etc? Is the hardwood scratched and damaged?

Basement and Foundation

• Odor: What does it smell like? An overpowering odor can be mold or mildew.
• Walls: Do the walls have any cracks? Small, hairline cracks are not so concerning, but large cracks — especially horizontal cracks — can be an indicator of bigger foundation problems.

Exterior

• Water: Walk around the foundation of your home. taken away from your home with extenders? in the yard?
• Lights: Turn them on. Test Outlets.
• Fence: Walk the fence to check for loose boards and the overall sturdiness of the fence.
• Siding: What is the condition of the siding?
• Roof: Go to the southside of the house and look at the shingles. The southside gets the most sun, and curling or buckling can be an indication that the roof needs work.
• Garage Door: Does the garage door(s) open and close easily?

What happens after the Inspection

There likely will be a long list of items that your inspector identifies as needing attention. That is normal.

Some of those items will need to be repaired immediately. Depending on how we originally wrote your contract, we may be able to request that the seller repair these items. There is no guarantee they will agree, but we may choose to make a request and negotiate for repairs prior to settlement.

Other items listed in the inspectors report, will be maintenance items you’ll want to do soon or keep an eye on while you live there. In addition to the inspector identifying what is currently not working properly, the inspection is a great time to get to know your home as the inspector points out things to keep an eye on, such as keeping exterior drains clean, caulking windows, weatherproofing doors and the link.

In addition to what the inspector finds, there might be additional items you want to improve upon that are above and beyond the scope of the inspection, such as remove a wall or any remodeling. Those are the type of items you ’ll want to bring in a contractor for and the inspector will not be commenting on.

After the inspector provides his or her report, we’ll schedule a time to talk through everything identified and decide what items, if any, we will formally request the seller to repair prior to settlement.

From there, we’ll either remove the home inspection contingency or enter into negotiations with the seller regarding repairs.

It may seem like a lot need to get done in a short amount of time and it’s true, but you’ve got me and I’ve got you.My job is to coordinate with all parties, manage timelines, and communicate to you what needs to happen by when. I’ve got my eye on the ball and I will get you to the finish line.